RLPC-BC Partners to buy majority stake in CarTrawler

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - Private equity firm BC Partners has agreed to buy a majority stake in Ireland-based online car rental company CarTrawler, it said on Monday.

Private equity firm ECI, which bought CarTrawler in 2011, hired PwC to run a sale process that attracted interest from a number of buyout firms.

BC Partners will acquire a majority stake in CarTrawler, while private equity firm Insight Venture Partners will take a minority stake. Management will also retain a shareholding in the company. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Banking sources said the acquisition would be backed with debt financing of around 150 million euros ($207 million) or 5 to 5.25 times CarTrawler’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of approximately 30 million euros.

Debt is expected to be provided in the form of senior leveraged loans by Lloyds and RBC and will be syndicated to other lenders in the coming weeks, the sources added.

Bankers and debt investors will be eager to support the deal after a lack of M&A financing last year.